Portable dock



July 10, 1962 J. P. ERICKSON 3,043,109

OOOOOOOOOO CK INVEN TOR.

W MW J'omv PJRKEE ERR-K300 Arramver:

July 10, 1962 J. P. ERICKSON 3,043,109

PORTABLE DOCK Filed March 16, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIELE IIIIIHHHIINVENTOR. fol/1v PAR/(ER [mm so lrraguer:

rates Patent 3,043,109 Patented July 10, 1962 fiice The invention hereinhas relation to a new and improved prefabricated portable dockessentially consisting of a plurality of elongated dock sectionshingedly connected end to end, to be foldable relative to each otherselectively to be situated in superimposed and longitudinally alinedrelation, and supporting wheels and legs for said dock sections.

In the accompanying drawings forming -a part of this specification,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable dock made according to theinvention as when out of use;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view detailing the manner in whichaxle mounted uprights for supporting an elongated section of saidportable dock are assembled with longitudinally extending beams of saidelongated section;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, of the portabledock as when in use;

7 FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view, corresponding generallywith the disclosure of FIG. 4 showing the portable dock as when beinginstalled for use;

FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 66 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 77 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view, taken on line88 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional View, taken on line99 in FIG. 4; and 4 FIG. 10 is a detail sectional view, taken on line10-10 in FIG. 9.

In the disclosure as made, the portable dock includes four elongateddock sections, denoted 15, 16, 17 and 18, respectively, of substantiallyduplicate construction, hingedly connected endto end to be manuallyfoldable each with respect to the others selectively to be superimposedone upon another, when to be out of use as in FIG. 1, and to be inlongitudinal alinement, when to be set up for service as in FIG. 4.

Each of the substantially duplicate elongated dock sections 15, 16, 17,18 is of rectilinear configuration and is constituted as spaced,parallel longitudinally extending beams 19, bounding the opposite sidesthereof, a longitudinally extending beam 20, between and in equallyspaced relation to the longitudinally extending beams '19, andtransverse planks 21 extending transversely of and secured down upon thelongitudinally extending beams 19, 20, 19. The transverse planks 21 arein a single plane and together constitute platforms of the elongateddock sections, respectively.

A forward end portion of the elongated dock section is supported onwheels 22, at the outer sides, respectively, of said mentioned elongateddock section, themselves rotatably mounted on an axle 23 having oppositeend portions thereof supported in transversely alined openings 24through uprights 25 rigidly assembled, as at 26, with the longitudinallyextending beams 19, respectively, of the elongated dock section 15.Desirably, there will be several different sets of vertically spaced andtransversely alined openings 24 in which the opposite end portions ofsaid axle selectively can be situated, depending upon the elevation atwhich it may be appropriate in one instance or another to situate saidelongated dock section '15 when the portable dock is to be put to use.

The rearward, inner ends of the longitudinally extending beams of theelongated dock section 15 are in transverse alinement, as are also theforward, outer end surfaces, at'the right in FIGS. 1 and 4, of said justmentioned longitudinally extending beams, and said forward,

outer end surfaces are in a plane passed vertically and transverselythrough the portable dock.

A transversely extending connector section of said portable dock,between the forward, outer end of the elongated dock section 15 and therearward inner end of the elongated dock section 16, next adjacent tosaid elongated dock sect-ion 15, is constituted as transversely spacedend blocks or beams 27, alined with the outer longitudinally extendingbeams of the elongated dock sec tions 15 and 16, an intermediate blockor beam 28, longitudinally alined with the longitudinally extendingbeams 29 of said elongated dock sections 15 and 16, and transverselyextending planks 29 secured to and against said blocks 27 and 28, to liein the horizontal plane of the transversely extending planks 21 of theelongated dock section 15 when the portable dock is in service.

Rearward, inner, lower and forward, outer, upper end surfaces of saidblocks 27, 28, 2-7 are in perpendicular relation thereto, and hinges,disposed at the rear of the lower surfaces of the blocks 27, 23, 27 andabove and below the forward surfaces of the longitudinally extendingbeams of the elongated dock sections 15 and 16, re-

spectively, secure said elongated dock sections and the. connectorsection to each other for relative swinging move- I ment in a verticalplane.

to the elongated dock section 17, by employment of a connector sectionequivalent to, but including blocks or beams 43, 43 substantially halfas long as, the connector section between the elongated dock section 15and said elongated dock section 16, for vertical swinging movement ofthe dock sections 1.6 and '17 and the connector section by which theyare joined relative to each other.

The rearward end of the forward, outermost elongated dock section '18 ishingedly secured to the forward end of the elongated dock section 17 forvertical swinging movement relative thereto.

The portable dock is disclosed in FIG. 1 of the drawings as when out ofuse. The innermost elongated dock section 15 is supported on the ground,the outermost dock section 18 is resting on said innermost dock sectionin superimposed relation thereto, the elongated dock section 17 isresting on said elongated dock section 18 in superimposed relationthereto, the elongated dock section 16 is resting on said elongated docksection 17 in superimposed relation thereto, the connector sectionbetween the elongated dock sections 16 and '17 is at the, rear of theportable dock and the connector section between the elongated docksections 15 and 16 is at the front of said portable dock. A clamp 30 insurrounding relation to a rearward portion of the folded dock is forretaining the elongated dock sections in fixed relation to each other,especially while the portable dock is being transported on the wheelsZZfand any suitable instrumentality, which such forms no part of thepresent invention, for towing said portable dock can be employed.

In FIG. 5 the portable dock is disclosed as when being installed foruse, and in FIG. 4 said portable dock is disclosed as when installationhas been completed. In said FIG. 4, all of the elongated dock andconnector sections are in longitudinal alinement and the ends oflongitudinally extending beams of the elongated dock sections and theblocks of the connector sections, respectively, which are in adjacentrelation are also in meeting engagement, having been so situated inresponse to unfolding of the parts of the portable dock from theirpositions as in FIG. 1. To the accomplishment of unfolding of theelongated dock sections their'superimposed positions, as in FIG. 1, andcausing them to be longitudinally alined as in FIG. 4, the clamp 30willrbe removed, the connector section between the rearward,innermostelongated dock section '15 and the elongated dock section 16will be swung downwardly and forwardly to position where in thehorizontal plane of said innermost elongated dock section, saidelongated dock section 16 together with the elongated dock sections '17and 18 and the connector section between the elongated dock sections 16and 17 as unit, will be swung upwardly, forwardly and downwardly untilsaid elongated dock section 16 is in the horizontal plane of theinnermost elongated dock section and the adjacent connector section, theconnector section between said elongated dock sections 16 and 17 will beswung downwardly and forwardly to position where in the horizontal planeof the elongated dock section 16, the elongated dock section'17,together with the elongated dock section 18 as a unit, will be swungupwardly, forwardly and downwardly until said elongated dock section 17is in the horizontal plane of said elongated dock section 16, and theelongated dock section 18 will be'swung upwardly, forwardly anddownwardly untilin the horizontal plane of said elongated dock section17. Means for detachably fastening the elongated dock and connectorsections in longitudinal alinement is indicated at 31. The parts of theportable dock can be folded from their longitudinally alined positions,as in FIG. 4, back to their folded positions, as in FIG. 1, byperformance of operations which are the re- 'yerse of those required tounfold andlongitudinally aline said parts.

Each of the elongated dock sections, save the innermost one 15 mountedon-the wheels 22, is to be supported by a device includinglongitudinally adjustable legs. The

V supporting devices for the different elongated dock sections, 16, 17,18, may be of duplicate construction. As shown, each of said supportingdevices includes a frame constituted as spaced, tubular elements 32interconnected by oblique reinforcing members 33. The upper ends of saidtubular elements are rotatably mounted, as atS-, upon the longitudinallyextending beams 19, respectively, of the corresponding elongated docksection for swinging movement of the frame in a vertical planelongitudinally of the portable dock. Transversely spaced, oblique braces35 of each of the supporting devices have upper endsthereof rotatablymounted, as at 36, in said just mentioned longitudinally extendingbeams, respectively, and lower ends thereof detachably secured, as at37, to lower ends of the tubular elements, respectively. Said tubularelements telescopically support legs 38 to be imbeddcd in the ground,and lower end portions of said legs pass through openings in a strut 39for retaining the legs in fixed spaced relation. Said legs areadjustable longitudinally in the tubular elements. As shown each of saidtubular elements is provided with sets of longitudinally spaced,horizontally alinedapertures 4t) selectively for receiving" opposite endportions of a fastening pi n'41arranged in the corresponding leg 33. Aswill be clear from FIG. 1 of the drawings, each supporting device is tobe stored within space provided by the elongated dock section with whichit is assembled when the portable dock is in folded condition. Thesupporting devices evidently will be rendered readily and easilyswingable to position within their corresponding elongated dock.sections when their oblique braces shall have been detached from theirtubular elements.

of the portable dock,.from

The manner in which the portable dock'is to be stably supported with theplatform thereof in horizontal position will be plainly evident from thedisclosures of FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings. As there shown, the groundslants downwardly and outwardly and the water is of increasing depth, asis usually the case. The wheels 22 are rested on ground ata relativelyhigh elevation and the legs of the supporting devices are irnbedded inground of increasingly lower elevation. Said legs have been adjustedlongitudinally in their corresponding tubular elements 32 to be ofproper length to enter the surface of the ground and retain :theplatform of the portable dock in a single horizontal plane. The innerend portion of the elongated docksection 15, at the rear of the Wheels22, is shown as resting on the ground and fixed relative thereto by'ananchor'42.

What is claimed is: V I

1. A portable dock comprising at least first, second, third and fourthelongated dock sections, each having at least two parallel,longitudinally extending dock section beams in longitudinal alinementwith corresponding dock section beams "of the other sections and ahorizontal clock section platform supported by said dock section beams,adjacent ends of said first and second dock section beams being hingedlyconnected together; a first con- A vertical depth of said first docksection and positioned between adjacent ends of said second and thirddock sections, said first connector section having at least two parallellongitudinally extending connector section beams in longitudinalalinement with the dock section beams and a connector platform supportedby said connector beams, said connector section beams being hingedlyconnected at their ends to the ends of the corresponding beams of thesecond and third dock sections; and asecond connector sectionconstructed substantially identical with said first connector sectionand having a length substantially equal to the sum of the verticaldepths of the first and second dock sections, the beams of said secondconnector section being hingedly connected at their ends to the ends ofthe beams of the third and fourth dock sections; each of the hinges onsaidportable dock having its pivotal axis lying substantially in theupper platform surface ofsaid dock and transversely thereof.

2. The combination as specified in claim land a pair of transverselypositioned wheels rotatably mounted on said fourth dock section inground engaging relationship thereto, and a pair of transverselypositioned, ground engaging legs pivotally mounted to each of saidfirst, second and third dock sections, each pair of legs being movablefrom a first position in perpendicular relationship to said dock sectionplatform to a second position to parallel relationship to said docksections and-lying entirely in the space between said platform and aplane passing through the outer edges of its respective dock sectionbeams and spaced from said platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

